A Cruel Taste of Winter
by hansonkali
Summary: (set after 2x12) Cheryl Walsh sets out from Las Vegas to find her husband Shane while in Atlanta Rick has to deal with the repercussions of killing Shane. It's the first winter in the Zombie Apocalypse and it's going to be a cruel one for Rick Grimes and Cheryl Walsh.


A Cruel Taste of Winter Chapter One

Cheryl Walsh yawned as she looked out at the now deserted street. It was hard to believe that just several months ago the streets had been full of people, full of life but now it was like a ghost town ever since the world had fallen and changed, ever since the dead had started to walk again.

"You need a break Walsh?" a voice came from behind Cheryl and she turned to face Ava Grimes. Ava was her best friend and the sister of her husband's best friend.

Cheryl shook her head no, though she knew in all actuality she did need a break. She had been up since daybreak and why she had insisted to take the night shift she didn't know. Maybe it was because she was stubborn or maybe it was because she just needed a distraction. A distraction from thinking about Shane, the husband she had left in Atlanta a mere week before the world became chaotic. Now two months had passed since then and she had no clue if he was alive or dead and the urge to find him somehow was overwhelming her.

"You sure?" Ava asked her friend, her eyebrow raising in question. "You look tired and like you aren't holding up so well."

Cheryl shook her head again, "I am fine Ava," she whispered a bit harsh. "I am tired but who the hell isn't tired lately?" she asked her voice still sound harsh. "No one sleeps as much anymore because no one isn't sure how much longer we can stay in the hotel not far from the damn Las Vegas strip. A strip which is probably full of fucking walkers."

Ava sighed as her friend vented though she didn't take it personally. She figured that Cheryl's words were a part of a bigger problem. "People are also worried about their families too," she spoke knowing that everyone who was in the hotel had been part of the Atlanta group that had taken a work trip here. A trip that had been planned by the bar they worked for. It was a last-minute bachelorette party for Annie Davis and their boss Jackson had found a way to make it a work trip too.

Going silent at Ava's words Cheryl chewed on her lip. "I miss Shane," she confessed her voice no longer bitter. "I want to find a way back to Atlanta to try to find him," she mused wondering what Ava would think of this idea.

"I want to find Rick and Lori as well," Ava told Cheryl. "I know Jackson wants to get back to his wife and his daughter Carly misses her mom," she smiled thinking of the nine-year old that Jackson had brought along. "Annie misses her soon to be husband," she nodded.

Cheryl looked at Ava as she ran a hand through her blonde locks. "Is this your way of saying we should work out a plan to get back to Atlanta?" she asked hoping that was what Ava had meant.

Ava nodded at Cheryl's words, "It is my way of saying that," she smiled before turning away from her friend and looking out the window. "Now go get some sleep and let me take watch. We can bring up the Atlanta plans tomorrow over breakfast."

Nodding Cheryl left the room finally giving into her tiredness. Going down the hallway to her room she couldn't help but keep smiling, she liked the fact that it seemed they may soon be on their way back to Atlanta soon then maybe she could start looking for Shane though she had no clue where she'd start looking.

Going into her room Cheryl quickly stripped out of her clothes and put her pajamas on wishing that she could get a hot shower though for the past week since realizing they were about to run out of water they had made a schedule for everyone to uphold when it came to showering and today was not her shower day.

Cheryl crawled into her bed and yawned once more before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Shane glared as he looked at Rick as they stood in the middle of the large field. He knew what he was doing was wrong, luring his best friend out here to kill him but he had to do it for Lori and Carl. Lori had been Shane's rock the first month after the world had fallen. They had both thought their spouses were dead and they turned to each other, they had turned to each other and he had fallen in love with her.

Though Rick coming back had ruined any relationship he had with Lori and it pissed him off, made him want it back. Lori and Carl were his only reasons for living. Cheryl was dead at least he was sure she was and Lori was his savior from the darkness of accepting that his wife was dead. He had to make sure Lori always stayed his which meant taking Rick out of the picture.

"So he got you with a rock?" Rick asked feeling Shane's eyes on him from behind.

Shane heard Rick's question being taken out of his thoughts. "That is what I said."

"Inside the shed said door was shut when T-dog rolled up," Rick countered not even turning to face Shane. He had a sinking feeling on why Shane had lured him out here.

Shane nodded, "I saw that too. Must have slipped through the rafters in the roof," he shrugged watching as Rick soon came to a complete stop a few feet away from him.

Rick sighed at Shane's words coming to a stop as he tried to digest them though he couldn't. Putting the gun he held in his hand back in its holster he hesitated for a second before finally breaking the silence. "So this is where you plan to do it?"

"It's as good a place as any," Shane answered surprised that Rick had figured out his true motives. He hadn't planned on Rick finding out his true motive.

"At least have the balls to call this what it is," Rick spoke as he turned to face Shane, "murder. You really believe if you walk back onto that farm alone, no me, non Randall," Rick continued ignoring Shane when he told him to hush up. "You really believe they are gonna buy that bullshit story you cook up?"

Shane shrugged, "That's just it, it ain't no story," he said trying to sound confident even though he really didn't feel as confident as he sounded. "I saw that prisoner shoot you down. I ran after him, snapped his neck. It ain't going to be easy but Lori and Carl they will get over you," he told his best friend smugly still trying to be confident. "They've done it before. They're just going to have too," he said before pulling his gun out and aiming it at Rick.

"Why?" Rick asked Shane stepping a bit closer. "Why now? I thought we worked this all out."

"We tried to kill each other man," Shane laughed shaking his head. "Did you just think we'd forget about it all and ride off into the sunset?"

Rick felt his anger start to boil at Shane's lack of emotions right now. "So you're just gonna kill me in cold blood? Screw my wife, have my children, My children call you daddy is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn," he said as he continued to stare Shane down. "I know you, you won't be able to live with this."

"What do you know about what I can live with?" Shane asked briefly putting his gun down. "You have no idea what I can live with. What I live with," he yelled before putting the gun in his jeans. "How about what you can live with? Here I am," he said opening his arms, wanting Rick to try to harm him, he knew he couldn't.

"Come on man raise you gun," Shane continued after a while of Rick not doing anything.

Rick shoo his head no, "No, I will not," he said refusing to play into Shane's game.

"What happened Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy no more. Ain't that what you said?" Shane asked clearly trying to get under Rick's skin. "Even right here, right now you ain't going to fight for them. I am a better father than you Rick," Shane muttered as he stepped closer to Rick. "I am better for Lori than you man. It's because I am a better man than you Rick. Cause I can be here and I will fight for her. But you come back here and just destroy everything!" Shane yelled seeing from the expression Rick's face he may just be getting under the man's skin now.

"You got a broken woman," he continued with his antics. "You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it," Shane sighed before pulling his gun out and holding it on Rick again. "Raise your gun."

Rick didn't falter once when Shane raised his gun again, "You are going to have to kill an unarmed man," he spoke before moving his hands out some. Letting one hand go down to his gun he held it out away from himself. "Now listen to me Shane, there is still a way back from this. Nothing has happened here, we are going to lay down our guns, we are going to walk back to the farm together," he said before locking eyes with Shane.

"Back to Lori," Rick continued his words as he moved closer to Shane now. "Back to Carl. Put this all behind us," he said hoping the different emotions he saw in Shane's eyes was him reconsidering this. As he said those words though he let his other hand go behind him to where his knife was and the moment Shane reached to take his gun Rick lunged at him with the knife, stabbing his former friend.

Feeling a pain in his stomach as he was stabbed, Shane groaned accidentally firing his gun as he hunched over in the process though he soon lost his footing and fell to the ground. Breathing was becoming hard and he just laid there helplessly as he looked up at Rick who was blaming him for this, for his actions and stabbing him.

Looking down at his dying friend Rick frowned as he shook his head. This was all Shane's fault. Shane was the one responsible for what Rick had just done. If he hadn't been so fucking reckless. Feeling tears in his eyes he watched as his friend died there on the grass in the field. He had just lost the one man who had been like a brother to him.

* * *

Waking up in a sweat Cheryl looked around her hotel room. It was still nighttime but she had woken up because she felt as if something was wrong. Something was wrong and she couldn't place what.

Sitting up in bed she reached for her wedding band which she had taken to wearing around her neck these past few weeks. "Shane," she frowned as she said his name. For some reason she couldn't help but feel that whatever was wrong had to do with her husband. "I am going to find you, I promise," she whispered to herself as she laid back down on the bed.


End file.
